Sunday, January 30, 2011

Beef Stew in the Crock pot & Mmmm Brownies =)

We have had a FREEZING COLD winter in Wilmington... I love to spend time outdoors but this winter has definitely kept my fanny inside hibernating! There is nothing like a delicious meal cooking in the crock pot all day to make the house feel "warm." I have tried 3-4 different beef stew recipes and most of them are too much trouble for the way they turn out... I tried this one last weekend on one of those cold football sundays and I was actually very impressed!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

1 1/2 Ibs Potatoes Peeled & Cubed

6 Carrots cut into 1 inch slices

1 Sweet Onion Coarsely Chopped

3 Celery Ribs Coarsely Chopped

3 Tbsp Flour

1 1/2 Ibs Beef Stew Meat cut into 1 inch cubes

3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1 Can (28oz) Diced Tomatoes, Undrained

1 Cup Beef Broth

1 tsp Ground Mustard

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/2 tsp thyme

1) Layer the vegetables in a 5-qt slow cooker. Coat Beef with Flour evenly. In a large skillet, brown meat in oil. Place over Vegetables.

2) In a large bowl combine tomatoes, broth, mustard, salt, pepper, thyme. Pour over beef. Cover and cook on High 1.5 hours. Reduce heat to Low and cook an additional 7-8 hours or until vegetables are tender.

I have been craving brownies all week... Unfortunately, I did not have my Duncan Hines mix in the pantry so in desperation made some from scratch!

They are actually about the best brownies I have ever had and SUPER EASY to make from scratch.